ornaments from target, crate and barrel, michaels, home goods, and salvation army}

And I started bikram yoga! Today is my second class and I'll be trying out some new yoga gear I got - reviews will follow. :)

And... I'm getting another kitty today! Her name is Olivia, and no I didn't name her. But when I saw that she was the female equivalent of my precious Oliver, I knew it was meant to be. There's a really cute story here and I will save it for Olivia's introductory post. :)

I hope you all had amazing Thanksgiving weekends, full of friends, family, shopping and tryptophan naps. :)

I first saw Emily Finan's ACEO set The Four Seasons and fell in love with the vibrant colors surrounding such delicate faces. Then I saw her Victorian girls and who wouldn't love those big white bows? Emily graciously answered my questions. So, read on!

Tell me some basic info about yourself.

My name is Emily Finan, I'm an artist/illustrator from outside of Detroit, Michigan. I am currently finishing up my degree in studio art and will also be certified to be a K-12 art teacher.

I love working with charcoal, graphite, and black india ink. I enjoy working on colored papers, and adding splashes of white and gold ink. This year I have also been focusing on digital drawings made in Photoshop with a Wacom tablet. By limiting my color pallet, I am really forced to think about composition and value.

I have always wanted to be able to make a living doing something that I loved. As I started to study art more deeply in college, it seemed natural to sell my work to others. After a lot of research, I decided that etsy was a great venue to sell prints of my work, and it has been a great experience so far.

If I could give one gift to everyone I know, it would be the feeling of being content.

If I could have coffee with anyone, it would be Bethenney Frankle from the reality TV show Real Housewives of NYC. I find it fascinating how she balances running a business, having a social life, and starting a family.

Monday, November 22, 2010

Ornament Scout is back! This week, we have picks from Crate and Barrel - your destination for inexpensive and adorable Christmas decorations! Check back next week for Target, thenPottery Barn, thenJonathan Adler, and finallyEtsy!

Saturday, November 20, 2010

Lil Photo Boxes is backed by Michelle, a talented artist in Seattle. Michelle takes beautiful photographs and mounts them on reclaimed wood or in reclaimed wood shadowboxes. I love the juxtaposition of her clean photography and the rawness of her materials. Read on for an interview with Michelle and a shipping discount!

Thursday, November 18, 2010

Kelli Murray Art has that look. You know it - the muted colors, the doe-eyed girls, the flowing hair. I love this style of illustration and I bet you do too! Kelli has been extremely generous and has offered up a print for one lucky reader! Read on for the interview and giveaway details!

Tell me some basic info about yourself.

I am 25 and I live in Encintas, CA with my husband and kitten. I work full time as the head designer for a clothing company called Jedidiah based out of San Diego. I am also a self taught artist and love to paint, sketch and do freelance design in my free time.

With my paintings, I always use wood as my canvas. I use acrylic paint for most of my work but also use india ink or liquid acrylics for my line work. Some of my illustrations are done with pencil and then brought to life digitally.

I heard about Etsy through one of my good friends who had started a shop a long time ago and found a lot of success in it. The risk is low and it is a wonderful outlet to get your art more visible. It was also a way for people to buy PRINTS of my work at a more reasonable price than my originals. I love the etsy community.

BLOGS! i am so inspired by blogs! But that is just the beginning. I was first drawn to art through a friend immersed in street culture. So I suppose that was my first inspiration. I loved the character illustrations of street artists like Fafi and Miss Van....and still do. I think my characters are extensions of me and I love to portray emotion in my work. I'm constantly inspired by nature, by fashion, by texture and color.

I think my Bride piece. This is the painting I did a few weeks before my wedding. We had it set up at the reception and it holds a special place in my heart. It is actually the only original I have kept for myself.

Fine print: Giveaway begins when it is posted and ends at 11:59pm pacific standard time November 26, 2010. A winner will be selected by a random number generator on November 27, 2010 and will be emailed promptly.